crafted dozens and

dozens of cloth

masks. There are

enough donated

masks to outfit the

entire house of resi-

dents and staff. They

come in different siz-

es and shapes, colors

and patterns. We

have enough choices

that we can browse

and shop for just the

right fit at our new

“masks tree” sta-

tioned at the front

door. We may be

doing more laundry,

but we are staying

safe.

In curating photo-

graphs for this

newsletter, one

thing becomes very

obvious; there are

no unmasked faces.

That’s because very

early in April, ahead

of the curve, Wood-

crest began requir-

ing all staff to wear

masks at all times.

Soon after, man-

dates and guidelines

came down from

the State and since

then, we’ve all been

getting used to the

new ‘on your face”

normal. With

world-wide short-

ages of PPE, an ar-

my of friends in the

community rallied

to our cause. Staff

member Michon

Doheny herself

Masks and the “New Normal”

M AY, 2 0 2 0 The Woodcrest Villager Special Edition: Corona Virus Pandemic

“ A N D P E O P L E

S T A Y E D A T

H O M E

A N D R E A D

B O O K S

A N D L I S T E N E D

A N D T H E Y

R E S T E D

A N D D I D E X -

E R C I S E S

A N D M A D E

A R T

A N D P L A Y E D

A N D L E A R N E D

N E W W A Y S O F

B E I N G

A N D S T O P P E D

A N D L I S T E N E D

M O R E

D E E P L Y ”

E X E R P T F R O M

‘ U N T I T L E D ” B Y

K I T T Y O ’ M E A R A

2 0 2 0

Issue II

P A G E 2

Looking Back at April

A New Kind of Portrait Exhibited Everyday, it seems, there is new change afoot. We are anticipat-

ing and responding by being fluid and ready. Residents and staff

alike are exhibiting steadfast, no-nonsense New England hardi-

ness and it is so admirable. The “new normal” has come to in-

clude visions of ourselves we might not have imagined before. To

honor this, the entire building has become a portrait gallery, dis-

playing the proud and determined faces of our whole Woodcrest

Village community. Strolling through our halls, one can sense the

iron will, but often playful nature that will carry us through this

historic event.

Woodcrest and

this year was no

exception. We

planted seeds and

exercised our

“flower power” by

wearing a wild ar-

ray of colorful

flower prints. We

made art and

practiced good

old fashioned pen-

manship. We went

flower picking on long

walks and read poetry.

We took very informa-

tive virtual trips and

maintained our health

with new, modified ex-

ercise classes. We

delved deep with our

“newfound friend,”

meditation. As always,

we found ways to laugh

and

make

the best

of the

situa-

tion.

April offered up a

broad range of

weather conditions

and we took every

opportunity to cele-

brate. For April

Fool’s day, we all

donned our wacki-

est attire and

cracked ourselves

up! Easter brought

another wonderful

meal together but

distanced and even a

visit from a certain

candy bearing bunny.

Earth Day is always

appreciated at

Tablets P A G E 3

One of many

changes to

the rhythm at

Woodcrest is

the addition

of a fleet of

tablets.

These devices are

making it possible to

stay as closely con-

nected as possible

with the world out-

side of our doors, but

also within. Doctors are

able to practice some tele-

medicine, keeping up-to-

date. Family members can

call anytime to arrange vid-

eo chats with loved ones at

Woodcrest Village. Enid

Chandler smiled as her

family sang Happy Birthday

right along with the rest of

the us and she blew out her

candles. Residents are ad-

justing to the technology

with ease and

making the most

of it, using it to

maintain the

scrabble

games they’ve

always en-

joyed togeth-

er. Adaptabil-

ity is a trait

easily spotted

in our community.

started flow-

ers in their

window sills.

In the

Courtyard,

Morning

Glories climb a trellis and

wait to be planted on our

sunny deck. Residents

took to the gardens on

warm days and prepared

the beds for planting.

Planning has begun for

our raised bed herbs and

vegetables, which will take

their place on our porches

near Memorial Day. Not

even a pandemic can damp-

er our love of growing

things.

As usual, New Hamp-

shire served up a long

winter and as usual, we

are happy to see it

winding down. A box

of individually packed

seed starting kits was

available and residents

Things are Greening Up!

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Office Opens Near You.

With all the changes and

precautions, new signage

appears frequently to

help remind us all of

things that might not

come naturally, but must

be adopted. To empha-

size the critical im-

portance of mask wear-

ing, an illustrated graphic

is posted at each resi-

dent door. In a common

area where folks gather

together, a bespoke sign

reminds us about proper

spacing and distancing.

We’re getting the hang

of this!

Every single department at Woodcrest Vil-

lage has had to evolve to keep pace with this

crisis. Housekeeping staff, ever thorough,

scour everything in sight and conquer mountains of

masks. Maintenance staff ceaselessly roam the building,

fine tuning it for new protocol. Food service folks are ex-

panding their job to include cooking shift meals and

pizzas to-go for staff in order to minimize

co-worker’s exposure in stores. Concierges

tend bar and facilitate everything from or-

dering to video chats. The Activity depart-

ment amends every day of every calendar

to fit safety guidelines. Nurses negotiate

tele-medicine appointments and remain

hyper-vigilant. R.A.s master video chatting

and create artful montages of photos to keep families in

the loop. Every single staff member at Woodcrest Village

has stepped up to the plate and assumed new and chal-

lenging responsibilities. And they’ve

done it with grace and style, love and

care. Immeasurable thanks to you all!

KUDOS TO THE CREW